


hounds of love

by alexanderlightweight



Series: Words of October 2019 [27]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Demons, Fluff and Humor, Humor, M/M, Pandemonium Club (Shadowhunter Chronicles), Puppies, Smitten, Smitten at First Sight
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-19
Updated: 2019-10-19
Packaged: 2020-12-23 23:18:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,579
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21089462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alexanderlightweight/pseuds/alexanderlightweight
Summary: After a day of business and the tedious drivel of dealing with a long list of clients, Magnus wanted nothing more than a simple night at home.He was not expecting to find an unexpected guest hiding in the dark corners of Pandemonium's back-alley.  Nor for that guest to be a very interesting shadowhunter.





	hounds of love

**Author's Note:**

> this wasn't supposed to be this long but oh well! for the fluff bingo square of: puppies

It had been a long day, one filled with what Ragnor would call tedious drivel and it had turned Magnus’ mood from magnanimous to sordid. A night that he’d intended to transition from business into pleasure was now the kind of evening where he portaled home, poured himself a few drinks and perhaps enjoyed a good song or an old book rather than company. 

Once, it would have been the kind of evening where he would lose himself in the pleasures of another but his heart felt tender under the walls he’d built up. A castle can only take so many sieges before it needs repairs and Magnus felt in need of a long night of self-care with his heart safe from the possibility of wounds. 

It was with the temptation of a piping hot bath, a delicious and simple meal summoned straight to his table and the knowledge that it was all a snap away, that he stepped into the alley. Pandemonium was packed and while he could have portaled from his office, there was less hassle in slipping through the exit than chancing yet another problem being brought to his attention.

He was about to make the portal when he heard a noise, the deep growl of a predator that made the hair on your neck rise and your skin tingle and in Magnus’ case, his magic spark. He turned on his heel, calm but with his glamour dropped as he reached out and there, deeper in the alley was the cause.

He stepped forward, letting the click of his boots echo in warning as he made his way to the darkest corner. There was a slumped figure, clearly pretending not to be there but Magnus could both see them and smell the thick iron that was blood.

Exhaustion put him on edge but compassion lingered in his body, no matter how hard the world had tried to snuff it out. 

“Are you hurt?” He asked quietly but there was no verbal answer, just a small sigh and a little whine that didn’t quite register as human. Deciding to ignore the possibility of it being a mundane_ -he would just erase their memory if need be- _ he raised a palm of blue fire and stared down at the revealed figure.

Dark eyes blinked up at him from a face set with a scowl and wearing a five-o’clock shadow that was more blood and grime than stubble. What caught Magnus’ attention was the dark line on the man’s neck and he zeroed in on it, eyes narrowed for a moment before he registered that while the mark was indeed a rune, it was not a circle. Merely yet another angelic decoration stamped on a nephilim’s skin to proclaim their holiness, he thought sourly. 

“Are you injured?” He asked again, aware that his voice had cooled several degrees from when he’d thought it a mundane or downworlder. “Or are you just loitering about for unsuspecting victims?” 

There was a moment where he thought he’d be denied an answer and then there was a soft huff and the man coughed, “I’m a little stuck.” He finally admitted which was a surprise in of itself.

“Stuck?” Magnus asked, “and how does a revered holy warrior become stuck in the rot of an alley? You’re practically begging a demon to find you.”

“This,” and the shadowhunter paused, staring at Magnus with a rather odd look, “wasn’t my plan. I didn’t really have a choice though.”

Magnus was about to scoff but another sound rang out. That same inhumanly pitched whine from earlier and he flared his magic, shocked to realize that on the shadowhunter’s lap was what looked to be a very large dog but with an oddly proportioned body as though it were still a juvenile. 

“I’m not quite sure what to do with my new friend and taking them like this to the institute is just asking to be noticed by mundanes or tracked by demons.” 

“I didn’t realize one of your angelic duties was rescuing strays.” He muttered under his breath but he also opened a portal. “Can you carry it?” 

“Yes, but why are you helping me?” The shadowhunter asked, which was a wise enough course of action that Magnus took no offense. 

“Firstly, I don’t need you scaring people off from my club and secondly, I’m the High Warlock of Brooklyn.” Magnus said and he grinned, baring his teeth. “Now step wisely, shadowhunter and if you give me cause for regret, I won’t be so nice.” 

The shadowhunter stood somewhat shakily, gathering the canine in his arms before he staggered through the portal. 

Magnus followed and tsked when he realized his new guests were making something of a mess. The shadowhunter was dripping with ichor and the dog no better, it wasn’t healthy for either of them and already regretting his kindness, Magnus snapped his fingers discreetly to add a door.

“Follow me, I have a bath you both can use.” He said, leaving no room for argument and seething a little inside at every new drop of ichor that threatened his floor. If it were anyone but a nephilim, he might have simply snapped the grime away or at least offered to, however he’d rather not have High Warlock skewers as tonight's midnight snack, which meant having them clean off the old fashioned way. 

“Don’t go snooping around,” he warned as he led them to the newly placed bathroom door, “there.” He snapped his fingers again, “towels and something to wear. I do not need _ more _ of my floor ruined by ichor, thank you very much.”

The shadowhunter said something but Magnus turned, using magic to close the door as he walked quickly to his cart and poured himself a glass. He studied it thoughtfully before downing it and pouring another one, this one to sip more slowly. 

“Of all the nights,” he said to himself. The view from his balcony was loft and gorgeous but it felt cold. No one to share it with but a possible enemy who was in his bath, lovely. Of all the nights to have a bleeding heart indeed.

-

Alec wasn’t quite sure how he’d gotten himself into this mess. On one hand, it had been a simple hunt that ended easily enough, Jace and Izzy had even gone off gallivanting with their potential conquests and he’d headed back to the institute. A mundane screaming had caught his attention and he’d used the advantage of a fire escape to kill a straggling demon. A demon that hadn’t targeted the mundane but rather the strange dog-like creature hiding in the corner. Alec didn’t know what it was exactly, however it had held it’s own against a small shax demon and after growling at him, had been happy enough to lick his hand and then tackle him to the dirty alley floor. 

He looked at the creature who was staring at him with soulful, umber eyes and slapping a bedraggled tail against the tile floor. 

“I hope you aren’t allergic to soap,” he told them and they wriggled closer, pressing against his leg, “because you are getting scrubbed. We are not going to make even more of a mess.” He promised the animal and himself. 

It was bad enough that he’d needed the rescue but worse that he’d been covered in ichor, winded and then left further speechless by an utterly gorgeous man. “I think I prefer it when things just try to kill me.” He admitted quietly as he lathered soap into fur, “it’s easier to think when a demons trying to eat you.” He couldn’t say the rest of it out-loud, not even to his new friend, that fighting was simpler than managing his thoughts and words in front of someone so handsome. The dog seemed to understand though, sending foam all over him as it nudged at his armpit, nearly knocking him over.

The shower took a long time, probably too long but Alec didn’t really have a choice. Thankfully the water stayed hot and he thanked magic and his host for that as he grabbed more soap. He’d run out fairly quickly and had grabbed what was in the cabinet, hoping it wouldn’t be considered rude but needing to smell of something other than demon guts.

-

Magnus looked up, expecting to be met with a scowl and demands and found himself staring at the shadowhunter, _ his _ shadowhunter. The shadowhunter he had brought _ home _. 

His feet were bare. It wasn’t the first thing Magnus noticed, but it seemed the least dangerous part to focus on, the fact that he had bare feet. Much less distracting than focusing on how he looked so very different here, in the soft light of Magnus’ home. 

Magnus idly raised a hand, fiddling with his ear cuff as he stood and walked over, “you look better.” He offered and wanted to curse himself for being both so obvious and so lacking in words. 

His shadowhunter didn’t just look better, he looked incredible. It didn’t help that as something of a joke, Magnus had summoned the shadowhunter charcoal sweats and a plaid shirt in burnt orange. Between the fact that is was strangely flattering and the fact that he was holding the dog, still wrapped in a fluffy towel, he looked like a very odd lumberjack fantasy Magnus had dreamt about once upon a martini too many. 

“Thank you for all your help, I’m Alec, by the way.” Was offered and then, “this is Quarrel.” 

“Quarrel?” 

“Well, temporarily?” His shadowhunter paused and a light flush infiltrated his features, “I wasn’t sure what else to call her and I’m an archer so-”

Magnus could have listened to his soft explanations and watched his embarrassment blossom for hours, except his wards were pinging with demonic energy and he knew for a fact it wasn’t just because of the ichor.

“Alexander,” he said sharply and his guest paused, tilting his head questioningly. “I need to check something.” Magnus explained and pointed to his couch, “sit for a moment, please.” He added a stern glare and, considering that Alec had already seen them, flashed his cat-eyes as well. Alec’s blush deepened for some reason and whatever protest he’d been going to make disappeared as he sat down on the couch, dog half on his lap and very pleased with itself. 

It took a moment to form a conclusion, checking his wards thrice and then casting discrete spells just to be sure. 

“That isn’t a dog.” Magnus finally told him, standing in front of the couch and shadowhunter with his hands held at the ready, though he kept his voice soft, trying not to alarm either of them.

“What do you mean she’s not a dog? She’s a good girl.” Alec asked as he fawned over the creature, his hands far too close to the creatures maw for comfort. “A good quarrelsome girl.” 

Magnus was doomed. A beautiful, handsome nephilim who knew wordplay and was currently cuddling a hellhound.

“It’s a Hound of Edom.”

The hound looked at him, mahogany eyes flashing stubbornly as it yipped but instead of turning violent, it licked at Alec’s fingers beseechingly and nuzzled his hand.

“That’s very neat,” Alec said, apparently uncaring of the fact that he was cooing over a demonic dog. “That must have been how you protected yourself earlier, wasn’t it? A good girl indeed.” 

Magnus despairingly summoned another drink, he was going to need it.

-

It took a large amount of summoned food and Magnus finally flashing his eyes and threatening a banishment spell for the adorable beast to betray itself and bark a small spark of hellfire at him. It had been immediately contrite, lowering itself to the ground and then playfully batting at Magnus’ bootlaces and Magnus had felt his heart waver. While he had very few good memories of Edom, the packs of hell puppies were one of them.

“You can’t take her to the Institute.” Magnus told Alec, a little worried that his overly attached shadowhunter might try to take the pup home, he also deliberately ignored the hypocrisy of his thoughts. Alec was only his shadowhunter _ momentarily _ , because he was in Magnus home, _ temporarily _ . He cut off that line of thought rather quickly, he did not need to think about how his poor heart panged at the thought of losing the opportunity to think of Alec as _ his _. 

“Obviously,” Alec said and he seemed upset about it. “But I can’t just leave her out on the streets.” There was an unspoken understanding that it would be far more dangerous for those who came across her than for the seemingly docile hellhound herself.

“I could send her back to whatever hell dimension she came from?” Magnus offered, even though he didn’t exactly want to and that generous offer backfired, earning him two, hurt puppy-eyed pouts and Magnus felt another one of his poorly built walls fall.

“_ Fine _ .” He exclaimed with far more irritation than he actually felt, “I’ll take care of her, _ temporarily _. Until you either figure something out or she goes back to where she’s from. For a price, of course.” Alec gave him a far too knowing look for a shadowhunter that he’d only just met. He seemed to know that if Magnus agreed to look after her, she wasn’t going anywhere.

“Name it.” He agreed unhesitatingly, hand reaching out to pet her and his fingers were so close to Magnus’ own that he could have reached out and tangled them together. 

“Dinner, with _ you _.” Magnus said and twirled his fork in the air, “a proper meal. Not takeout on my floor while debating the fate of a stray hellhound.” 

“I liked tonight,” Alec said softly, almost too quietly for Magnus to hear. “I really enjoyed it.”

“As did I, Alexander.” Magnus hastened to assure, “I would just like to do it again. In various ways, including but not limited to a night out.”

-

Alec stared at Magnus, taking in his gorgeously detailed clothing, elegant makeup and he considered the fact that for no reason other than compassion, Magnus had let a stray shadowhunter and a dog into his home. Alec may have been distracted earlier but he wasn’t a complete idiot and this hadn’t been Magnus’ plan for the evening but he’d derailed his own night, just to help Alec out. 

“I’d like that.” He admitted and it had far more to do with Magnus’ honest, golden eyed gaze and the way he’d sneakily summoned a bone for Quarrel than even his strong jaw and the muscles of his arms that Alec couldn’t help but admire. “It sounds fun.”

“Oh good,” Magnus said, “for a moment there I worried you were going to try and play hard to get. Then I would have had to hold your visiting rights hostage.” He winked, as though he were joking but Alec felt it was just a ruse to hide how serious he was, though not about stopping him from seeing her. For some strange reason he trusted Magnus and while his instincts told him that Magnus wouldn’t hold her hostage, he did feel that Magnus had been seriously worried that he’d decline. 

Which was preposterous. 

Maybe in the daylight -_when Alec woke up and this night felt like a dream it would be different- _ but right now, sitting on the floor in Magnus loft, Alec couldn’t imagine a world where he could deny Magnus anything. 

**Author's Note:**

> I love the idea of hellhounds and Alec and Magnus having one. Also look up red Tibetan Mastiff puppies cause uh, that's what I'm envisioning. 
> 
> Fun fact: Quarrel is also a term for a bolt for a crossbow. Because Alec Lightwood like to read and knows obscure archer facts.
> 
> I'm on tumblr as [alexanderlightweight](https://alexanderlightweight.tumblr.com)


End file.
